adminHerald Reporter
Zimbabwe travellers to China are set to benefit from Kenya Airways’ recently launched Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.
The Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, which is ideal for long-haul flights, will from this month commence a direct route service to Guangzhou, China’s third largest city.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Boeing 777-300ER demo flight in Nairobi at the weekend, Traverse Travel Zimbabwe (Pvt) Ltd senior travel consultant Mrs Caroline Chekeche said travellers to China would benefit from the increased capacity that the new plane offer.
“China is an important trading destination, especially for countries like Zimbabwe and Kenya Airways’ new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft has the potential to boost two-way traffic between Zimbabwe and China, and between China and other countries,” she said.
“In addition, since this is a direct flight, it now means less hours of travel.”
Prior to this, flights to China went via Bangkok.
The new plane has a total seating capacity of 400, with 372 of these in the Economy Class.
Zimbabwe International Travel and Tours travel consultant Ms Gloria Shingirai said the move was key to the improvement of trading relations between Africa and China.
“The move by Kenya Airways to acquire the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft is very strategic in the sense that it has provided an improved way of better servicing a critical market such as China.
“From a broader perspective, it will help strengthen the existing economic ties between China and countries in the African region,” she said.
The Boeing 777-300ER, which is the largest aircraft in Kenya Airways’ fleet, has some impressive features.
The Economy Class seats are a cut above the rest with articulating seat bottoms for better leg room, four-way adjustable headsets, in-flight handset seat back and 10.6 inch touch screen monitors.
Each seat has a USB port with power sockets installed strategically throughout the cabin.
The Premier World Business Class features full flat-bed seats in leather footrests, laptop stowage and armrests that also act as privacy dividers.
Guests will also enjoy high quality in-flight entertainment; each seat has a 15.4-inch touch screen monitor power socket and USB port and an in-flight entertainment handset.
Officially launching the new plane, Kenya Airways acting commercial director Mr Jimmy Kibati said the acquisition of the new plane would help the airline in its targeted expansion drive.
“The Boeing 777-300ER aircraft is a perfect fit for our network expansion plans as it will enable us to serve our existing markets much more effectively and facilitate the opening of new long-haul routes in the near future,” he said.
Online Reporter